MOMENTUM swings were everything as Melbourne and Brisbane flexed their muscles to advance to preliminary finals, heart rates skyrocketed as Collingwood and North Melbourne survived close ones, while Geelong and the Western Bulldogs' seasons have ended after going down in elimination finals over the weekend. 

Each week Gemma Bastiani will look at a key talking point in each game in this handy wrap up, just in case you missed it. 

They've got some mental strength 

Melbourne has always been a tough side: skilful, experienced, and well-coached. This season, the key change for the Demons has been a mental strength we've not seen a lot of in the past. Down by 18 points at quarter time, the Melbourne of the past would have struggled to get back into the game, but that was far from the case on Friday night against Adelaide. Hitting the second quarter with a bang, it was a full team effort from the Demons to not just get back in the game, but pile on a handy lead to ultimately win by 21 points and progress straight to a preliminary final. 

If their stars aren't firing... 

Midfield duo Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard has led the Crows to a fifth finals series in seven seasons, but against Melbourne on Friday evening the pair not only struggled to gather the disposal counts we have come to expect from them - both with just their third sub-20 count since the year began - but both used the ball with just 25 per cent efficiency. Without that dominance coming out of the middle, Adelaide had trouble trying to control periods of the game and transition into genuine attack. 

A defensive conundrum 

Last time Brisbane and Richmond met the Tigers got the win, but the Lions were without leading goalkicker Jesse Wardlaw. With Wardlaw, Dakota Davidson and Taylor Smith all in attack - each of whom stand 180cm or taller - defensive units must work in perfect sync otherwise they will be caught out by the Lions' marking targets. Wardlaw and Davidson took five contested marks between them, and each of the trio kicked a goal, against Richmond on Saturday afternoon to help the minor premiers along to a winning score. 

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They need to play their way 

Once the Tigers give up too much uncontested possession in a game, they find it hard to apply their brand of tough, relentless pressure footy. Against the Lions on Saturday afternoon, once the home side established some control in the game Richmond got caught out playing skinny, straight line footy. Trapped out on the wing with all their numbers in direct line with the ball, they were exploited by Brisbane's willingness to use the width of the ground. As soon as Richmond rediscovered that in its own game in the final quarter, it once again looked dangerous. The Tigers will take encouragement out of that last quarter now but must play Tigers footy against North Melbourne next week if they are to remain in the hunt. 

Heartbreak for the season's big improvers

After the Cats' best AFLW season to date, they have been bundled out in the first week of finals due largely to their own inability to convert in front of goal. The young side battled hard, but ultimately their lack of finals experience showed against a North Melbourne team that has reached finals in each of the last four seasons. Geelong got sucked into some panicked decision-making and poor ball use, which was evident in the inside 50 count. Despite winning the metric by 23, the Cats simply weren't able to take marks within goaling distance, breaking down the high-marking side of recent weeks. 

Amy Smith, take a bow 

A big preseason and some player movement at the Kangaroos opened the door for Amy Smith to earn consistent games out on the wing, and she is thriving. Against the Cats, Smith registered a career-high 16 disposals and 17 tackles as she set the tone for North Melbourne's pressure and covered the ground expertly. Smith also won five intercepts and contributed five of the Roos' rebounds out of defence in a true breakout game for the 23-year-old. 

Eliza James, goodness gracious 

For a Collingwood side that has struggled to find a reliable conduit to goal for much of the season, Eliza James saved the day in the side's elimination final against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon. Making history with four goals in a final, James was forced to combat several different opponents throughout the day as the Bulldogs rotated Lizzy Georgostathis, Bailey Hunt and Elle Bennetts onto the youngster as she tore apart the attacking 50. Still a teenager, James nearly doubled her season goal tally in one game alone and is a glimpse at just what Collingwood's forward line may become. 

Never say die 

In a thriller, the Western Bulldogs were knocked out of finals, but not without giving every ounce of what they had left in the tank. The Pies got out to a 28-point lead during the third term, but the Dogs didn't let that dictate the remainder of their game. Using their contested marking game style, some run and a bit of dare the Dogs steadily pegged back the deficit. Gabby Newton stepped up for two goals and Sarah Hartwig's speed and pressure in attack was a game changer and while it wasn't to be, the Bulldogs will be proud of the way they went down fighting.